LETTERS: NORTH COUNTY, FEB. 23, 2013

U.S. mail going, going, gone

I see that the mail is going to be delivered only on Monday through Friday starting Aug. 1. I remember that when I was a young man back in New York, mail was delivered (are you ready) twice a day! The Postal Service now says it loses millions of dollars every year.

What is going on here? Of course, this was before the unions got involved. There was a British movie years ago called, “I’m All Right, Jack,” and the story was about a young man who came to work in a factory and hustled to perform his job. The union rep came to him and told him to slow down because he made everyone else look bad.

I rest my case.

Phil Epstein

Carlsbad

Nobody cares about North Korea

Every time I read about another threat North Korea has made toward us or the rest of the world, I have to shake my head and wonder how stupid the leaders of North Korea must be.

They have hundreds of thousands of citizens on the verge of dropping dead from starvation, while they spend all their time and energy winding up their military to the point where it’s wound tighter than a pocket watch on steroids. Meanwhile, the rest of the world doesn’t care. North Korea has almost nothing anyone wants. I mean, who would seriously want to invade North Korea? It would be like invading a field of overgrown weeds simply because it was there.

North Korea needs to wake up. It’s a slobbering, tick-infested giant no one wants to go near.

Tom Di Roma

Oceanside

Our founders were ‘enlightened’

Howard Killion (“Historical record is taught to refute,” Jan. 27) still doesn’t get the points I’ve been trying to make:

Freedom of religion was extremely important to our Founding Fathers. That’s why they established a secular government.

The Enlightenment significantly influenced the thinking and actions of our Founders.

Here are two decisive quotes:

• “The American Revolution was the result of a series of social, political and intellectual transformations in early American society and government, collectively referred to as the American Enlightenment.” Wikipedia, “American Revolution.”

• The Enlightenment “influenced Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, among many others, and played a major role in the American Revolution. The political ideals of the Enlightenment influenced the American Declaration of Independence, the United States Bill of Rights.” Wikipedia, “Age of Enlightenment”

Additionally, the Bible provides scant support for revolution, while the works of Enlightenment luminary John Locke provide both moral and rational justification.

I think it’s fine to have religious people in government. What I take exception to is the GOP/fundamentalist push to enshrine their sectarian beliefs in law.

John Terrell

Fallbrook

The lowest common denominator in Vista

According to its editorial, the U-T North County Times is hoping that Vista approves the project for South Santa Fe Ave in Vista (“With fingers crossed, developers eye Vista again,” Feb. 12).

My question is, why would anyone believe that “affordable housing” is an improvement to a neighborhood, especially one that is already low-income? So we have a project with retail at street level topped off by low-income residents above. Does anyone believe that retailers will be attracted to such a situation? Also, this will not attract those from out of the area to shop.

If the truth be known, the only reason the city of Vista is going to approve this is because they cannot get financing for any other type of development. So, instead of actually improving this corridor, the city will decide on the lowest common denominator.

Joseph Kraatz

Oceanside

We’ve heard it before

Alice Kelley (“Distorted, cheap shot,” Jan. 31) didn’t like the cartoon that displayed the real Hillary Clinton. We’ve heard it before, “taken out of context,” and an investigation is necessary to learn why it happened, so it will never happen again.

The British recognized danger and recalled their Libya ambassador. There was ample evidence of danger well before 9/11. We don’t need an investigation to understand that Clinton was busy visiting 112 countries and perpetual campaigner Obama was propagandizing under-informed, gullible, welfare-addicted voters.

Michael Moore, speaking of fellow U.S. citizens, once said, “they are possibly the dumbest people on the planet.” Voters validated his statement on Nov. 6, 2012.

Murel Fisk

Escondido

Slumlords are main culprits in Crown Heights

“Peace elusive in Crown Heights,” writes the U-T North County Times (Feb. 11). Truthfully, they should have said, “Peace in Crown Heights impossible without major changes.”

City Attorney John Mullen has finally done what was needed 20 years ago, sue the property owners. The Crown’s problem is too dense a population in a small area, affecting security of nearby neighborhoods and our city image. The city has spent time and money on a losing cause in the Heights. Increased policing, code enforcement and social programs do not remedy the problem: too many rentals, too many slumlords and too many people.

It’s no secret that apartments and rental homes cram human beings into very tight living quarters by allowing multiple families to live in tiny rental units. Look at the streets filled with the cars of extra people living in units originally designed for much smaller occupancy.

Who is to blame? City officials let this situation get out of hand, but the main culprits are slumlords who overload people in their properties. Mullen is on the right track suing slumlords until they clean up their properties, get good management and reduce overcrowded conditions.

When city money is spent on added policing and other city services, it’s time to recoup those costs from slumlords who perpetuate the problems in this area. In fact, if slumlords don’t comply, their properties should be condemned and razed.